An autopsy was performed Thursday at
the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Policlinico in Palermo
on the body of Dutchman Robcornelis Maria Huijben Uiben, 39, the
diver who died while working on the recovery of the Bayesian,
the sailing ship of the British magnate Mike Lynch that sank off
the coast of Porticello on the night of August 19, causing the
death of 7 people.
There are no signs of burns on the diver's body, but his death
is compatible with an explosion that may have occurred when the
torch used to cut the mast passed through pockets of hydrogen.
The shock wave possibly caused a piece of metal to detach, which
hit the diver and caused the oxygen tubes and the cables of his
cameras to break.
According to some hypotheses, the shock wave caused water to
enter the diver's suit and equipment.
Only after histological tests will it be known whether the
causes of death also included damage caused by a failure to
decompress due to an excessively fast ascent.
The diver was employed by one of the companies responsible for
recovering the superyacht that lies on the seabed off the coast
of Sicily.
The body was returned to the family for funeral services.
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